The Living Library

A Nightmare in Two Parts

Water filled the cell faster than Ray would have thought possible. He tried to keep calm - no way was the guy gonna let him drown.

But the water continued to rush into Ray's glass prison. Fear took hold of him. The water was enveloping him to the chin now. Ray started cursing. The water covered his mouth and nose. Ray tread water to stay above the surface, but the ceiling was already touching his head - there wasn't much space to go anywhere.

Panicking, Ray started to slam his fists against the glass screen as the water continued to rise. Soon, he was completely engulfed. He tried to hold his breath for as long as he could, but his heart was beating as if he was running 100 Mph. He stared through the watery mass and could just about make out a few people standing in front of the tank that held him captive.

Ray pressed his lips tighter together. He couldn't die like this. His heartbeat sounded unnaturally loud. He needed to breathe. He needed air. He was going to suffocate. He was going to die like this.

Air bubbles rose up as his lungs tried to get him to open his mouth. His vision was starting to flicker. On. Off. On. Off. As if someone was constantly hitting the light switch. Light, darkness. Light, darkness.

Darkness.

Fandom: due South

Disclaimer: due South belongs to Alliance and I’m not making any profit from writing this

Pairing: Fraser/RayK

Rating: NC-17

Words: ~27.180

Summary: After his divorce Ray is at a loss for what to do with himself. He decides to prove something to himself – he will learn how to swim. How lucky for him that Canadians are weird(ly) friendly and that Fraser has a deep-rooted need to lend a helping hand. A story of self-discovery, pushing limits, and – most of all – chemistry.

“He was a tiny bit disappointed and wondered for a moment if he was really that lonely that he missed seeing an almost complete stranger at a public swimming pool. God, it wasn’t the divorce that was depressing. It was his life.”

Content info: AU, post-divorce!Ray, canon divergence, first time

Kudos: Go to Ride_Forever for one of the most brilliant beta works ever! I swear, she made this story much more--musical--visual--you take your pick! Thank you :)

Notes: This is an age-old project that was privately dubbed the Swimming Pool AU in my head. This is for Surya – to new beginnings and old ones: to one of the first (if not the first?) artworks you ever did for me and the beginning of a wonderful friendship!

The smell of chlorine was thick in the air and every breath he took felt like inhaling a damp towel. When he closed his eyes he could almost pretend he was standing in the middle of a rain forest and that the air was moist from the thick undergrowth and heavy foliage… not that he had ever been to a rain forest. 

Ray opened his eyes and sighed. He’d probably never see one either; he just wasn’t the kind of guy who did stuff like that, become an explorer, go on a quest. Which was exactly why he was here, now, at a public swimming pool in the park area.  

Nervously, Ray flexed his naked toes against the sweaty tiles. He’d show her, he could do this. Although… he supposed that Stella didn’t care anymore whether he finally followed through with this. Swallowing hurt. It had been months since the divorce had been finalized, but it didn’t feel all that long to Ray. His partner, Paul, over at the 17th police precinct, a brown-haired man of medium build with the beginning of a pot-belly, had told Ray countless times that he should move on; get it out of his system. Well, Ray said ‘get’— Paul had actually said something more along the lines of ‘fucking it out’.